Kids are asleep. Wife is joining virtual "bachelorette party". Let's try that 1 like / 1 tweet thing!

Topics: product...and ice cream

Roadmaps are like weather forecasts. The further out you look the less certain things become. And when others look at it, they think the certainty is constant, and end up surprised when it changes.

Most traditional ice cream has a custard base (eggs) that provides the "richness" most like. But Italian gelato (no eggs) accentuates more delicate flavors (like pistachio and hazelnut).

Understanding how people think (and act) is more important than understanding how code works as a PM. (Though the latter can definitely help)

Common mistake with mix-ins is adding them to the base while it's still churning. Add them in layers while pouring the churned base into the storage container. That will lead to perfect scoops later on.

When joining a team or taking over a product, apply "campsite theory" — always leave it better than you found it. This can mean improving the process for a team, taking better notes, prioritizing that bug everyone wants to but doesn't have clear ROI, or bringing the donuts.

If you like unique ice cream flavors, steeping the base is the way to go.

Overnight cold steeps for delicate ingredients (eg mint, basil)

Quick hot steeps for robust ingredients (eg anise, coffee)

Good PMs work furiously to meet with every stakeholder to get buy-in. Great PMs identify issues that bring others to them.

The best containers for freezing ice cream are flat and made of plastic (max surface area). The worst are round, tall, and glass (ie all the good-looking ones).

Good PMs learn to be the voice of the customer. Great PMs teach engineers and designers how to be the voice of the customer. Simple tactics include: joint interviews, pair on-sites, support shadows, storytime exercises.

Vegan but love ice cream? Pulverized cashews, cacao butter, and coconut oil are your friends. Tapioca flour is also an excellent natural stabilizer.

Every product is part of a system. You need to understand the inputs and outputs of yours to be truly successful. The clearer the lines, the better you can solve the problem and the quicker you can extend your reach. Ex: point of sale takes payments that lead to reports.

Simple recipe if you're ever lazy but want something ice cream-ish:

- frozen banana
- pb
- cinnamon
- cocoa nibs
- mash like hell in a bowl
- devour

Shipping more != Shipping more features

Shipping keeps the team "in shape". Your job as a PM is knowing where the value lies for your customer (bug fix, performance improvement, redesign, new feature).

Soak your favorite cereal in milk. Strain out the cereal. Put it on a baking sheet and sprinkle sugar over it. Bake at 400. Now you have cereal brittle and cereal milk ice cream. You're welcome.

Product is all about aligning incentives. Align your pricing with your customer's value metric (you benefit when they benefit). Align your sales team comp structure with your pricing model. Align your support feedback loop with your development process.

This is going on longer than expected. Time for some inspiration

The best teams operate on trust. Trust is like a battery. You have to constantly recharge it. As the PM, this starts with you. Help that designer take notes during crit. Help that engineer test that random bug. Bring the damn donuts for hack week — cake AND yeast!

Alcohol messes with ice cream like people — it makes everything a little sloppier. So take it slow. Add a little add a time to see how much your base can take. I find 1 shot : 1 pint to be the max.

Every cycle between a PM, designer, and engineer is a loop. The more loops you can make happen during the course of building a feature, the better it will be. Each loop clarifies. Each loop accelerates. Eventually the loop becomes a vibration of everyone at the same frequency.

Fruit is the hardest ingredient to include in ice cream because of its high water content. If you do want to tackle it, heat the fruit with a bunch sugar to evaporate the water and increase the solids. It's a pain. This is why I am happy to buy my fruit flavors.

Concensus is overrated (and often the enemy). It's like having a single "right" amount of calories for all humans. Your job as a PM is to understand the tradeoffs, make the decision, communicate it effectively, and drive commitment. It's not to be a SUM operation for your team.

Whoops

SUM --> AVERAGE

Vanilla is my least favorite flavor to make and somehow everyone's favorite to request. There are 3 primary beans, each with unique strengths.

- Mexican: potency
- Madagascar: beauty
- Tahitian: aroma

Every new team/function you learn to use as a lever increases your effectiveness as a PM. Most start with eng. Then design and analytics. Then marketing and sales. Then partnerships/BD. Then corpdev. Then you're really flying.

Cones are overrated. I mostly prefer bowls or straight out of the container. But if you must have a vessel, I have a secret.

Flour tortillas. Flexible. Flavorless. If you really wanna get fancy, gently fry in coconut oil and honey for a true treat.

Every company/product can be boiled down to an equation. If you're going to bother with success metrics, make sure they eventually impact one of the variables in that equation.

The one thing I wish every ice cream cookbook told me was when to stop churning. So here's what I have discovered after many failed pints.

Stop when it looks like soft serve.

PMs are more like coaches than quaterbacks. We don't get to be "on the field" like designers and engineers. We can make a play call, but the team can choose something else. What matters is that we prepare the team for any situation. Then celebrate their efforts when we win.